Snowies east of Langdon

I drove east of Langdon in the evening a couple of days ago looking for owls. At this time of the year the odds are decent to see Snowy owls perched on a silo or a fence line so I was looking for them as well as Short-eared owls that have been reported in that area recently. It was about an hour before sundown when I found a Snowy owl perched a couple of hundred metres away along a fence line.

This beautiful fellow flew between a few posts and was not interested in having me around so I headed west as the sun fell behind a tall bank of clouds standing over the Rocky Mountains. I found the second, and final, Snowy of the afternoon on a small oil and gas installation built on a rise that was a bit of a hike from the road.

She was perched on a storage tank and took only passing interest in me during my 15 minute walk towards her. As I drew closer I took a few photographs and as color came into the sky with sunset, I took a bunch more :)!

She kept tabs on me but had her focus on the surrounding fields. I didn’t see anything of note but it was a different story for the owl.

When she did launch she glided over to another small hill then dived into the field where it seemed she caught something. It was too far for me to make out and when she flew again after a couple of minutes she went further away and I had no interest in chasing her any further.

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Hello Chris! The pics are just awesome. I’m amazed at how beautifully you’ve captured the birds….and a little surprised that how come they are out in open during daylight. I agree to one of your replies…they do seem to be very comfortable around you 🙂

Thank you for your comment. Regarding the daytime activity, Snowy owls are diurnal meaning they are active during the day and night. Most spend their summers north of the Arctic Circle so they have adapted to the daylight as there is very little darkness at that time of the year. Here in their wintering grounds, they can often be found perched, flying and hunting during the day.

I like to think some of them feel comfortable around me. It is special to share time with them. I move slowly and try to gauge whether I’m impacting them – for every relatively close shot there are many encounters that long distance relationships. When lightning does strike I always feel honoured by the bird’s choice.